This is my favorite Ruth Ware book yet. Great premise, great characters, great tension and suspense. Shades of Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies for sure. I loved how Ware tied it all together in the end, making sense of the who and why of the book. A great thriller of a read.

“We were being eliminated - all of us, And by someone who was determined to win this game at any cost.”

Another edge of your seat thriller from Ruth Ware, who never disappoints.

Love Island, meets Survivor, meets Lord of the Flies.

Thank you to Ruth Ware, Netgalley and Scout Press, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, LLC, for providing this ARC..

🏝️The Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware OUT MAY 21st, 2024🏝️

Thank you NetGalley and Scout Press for the advanced copy!

Ruth Ware is a well known author in the thriller community and ends up being an auto read for me. I didn’t love her last book, but I was pleasantly surprised after reading The Perfect Couple!

Lyla’s boyfriend Nico wants to make it big in the acting world. When they both get the opportunity to go on a reality couple dating show located on a remote island, he wants to jump at the chance. Lyla is not too sure, but since her doctoral research isn’t going well and she’s not even sure if she wants to spend forever with Nico, she decides to agree to do it. That’s until a storm comes in and Lyla along with the other couples are stranded on the island.

I felt like this was a classic Ruth Ware book! Danger happens, one by one each character goes missing or winds up dead, with a twist at the end. I found this book at times rather repetitive and it was hard to keep track of all of the characters in the book. 4 out of 5 stars!

To me, this book started a little slow, but having read Ruth Ware's books before I stayed the course and kept reading. I picked it up a little bit here and there and like clockwork, there was a point where I couldn’t put it down. That’s when I found myself at 3 am finishing this book. In my opinion, that’s when you know it’s good. It’s a good attention grabbing mystery.

I was initially drawn into the gripping world of One Perfect Couple, a survival thriller that promised intrigue and excitement. Set against the backdrop of a dating show gone awry, the story follows several couples grappling with the aftermath of a devastating storm that traps them on an island after the film crew leaves.

For the majority of the book, I found myself engrossed in the fast-paced narrative and intrigued by the characters' struggle for survival. The tension was palpable, and the plot seemed to be hurtling toward an exhilarating climax.

However, my enjoyment was marred by the final third of the book. As one character assumed the role of island leader, the story took a sudden and jarring turn that left me disengaged. What was once a thrilling adventure became muddled and less compelling.

I was disappointed by the unresolved plot holes that peppered the latter part of the book. Questions lingered without satisfactory answers, leaving me feeling unsatisfied and disconnected from the story.

While I've enjoyed other works by Ruth Ware in the past, One Perfect Couple fell short of my expectations. Despite its promising premise and captivating beginning, the lackluster conclusion ultimately left me wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Thank you so much Netgalley for an early edition. This story follows 5 couples on an island in the Indian Ocean to film a new reality series. The story started slow - I wasn’t invested until the storm hit and then I couldn’t put it down. Ruth Ware did it again. Loved this thriller!

This was a fun nod to Agatha Christie's And Then There Was None. I love the premise of the book of couples going to a secluded island to find the Perfect Couple. I enjoyed seeing how Lyla was reluctant to go on this show with 1. Her relationship with her boyfriend and 2. She is a scientist with no interest in getting famous.

This book quickly turned from Love Island to Survivor when a storm hits the island. I was intrigued with how this book would change. Unfortunately, there wasn't really a big twists and the ending was bit flat for me.

Thank you @scoutpressbooks @netgalley for a copy of this book.

A couples reality show on a deserted island gone wrong?!? Yesssss!!!!
If you’re looking for a summer read that is a thriller, look no further!!!
Several couples get stranded on this remote island after a storm and they have to fight for survival and hope help is coming. The journal entries were a very nice touch to the story.
This book was so captivating and tense. I was on the edge of my seat and didn’t know which way it was going to go. Make sure to pick this one up!

As her post-doctoral research reaches an impasse, Lyla begrudgingly takes two weeks off of work to take part in a reality TV show. Her boyfriend, Nico, is convinced that the show One Perfect Couple will be big break. After the five couples have made their way to the show’s remote island setting, tensions begin to rise. Then, a horrible storm develops overnight. Without power or a means to contact anyone for help, the contestants are now battling for their own survival. To complicate matters, one individual is a cold-blooded murderer with plans to take everyone else out.

Whoa. This book was a rollercoaster ride of emotions! The plot of this novel drew me in right away and had me eagerly turning pages. I enjoyed the various plot twists and was rooting for Lyla. I could easily see this book adapted on screen.

Thank you to @gallerybooks for the free book! Also thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for providing an ebook ARC option for me as well!

Total Agatha Christie And Then There Were None vibes! My favorite kind of thriller troupe is trapped room, or isolated location. This story seemed to take it in a little different direction that was refreshing. The setting at first is a Reality TV Show where they are on a tropical island. When they arrive nothing is quite as glamourous as they thought it would be and after a storm everything goes downhill from there. It was a good entertaining story, but I maybe expected a bit more twisty.

This has been likened to And Then There Were None. I think it has a little Lord of the Flies in it! This has everything a reality show needs. Attractive contestants, a beautiful setting, and competitive edge. It also has everything it doesn't need. A killer storm, isolation and untrustworthy people. Add in a lack of communication , dwindling supplies, and a body count and paradise disappears.
This book appeals to fans of reality shows and those who never watch. I liked how the women worked together.
Thank you, NetGalley and Ruth Ware for an exciting read.

After being disappointed in Ruth Ware’s last book, I was pleased to see she returned to form with One Perfect Couple. It starts with a Love Island meets Survivor reality show that Lyla, Nico, and four other couples are competing on. Things take a turn when a huge storm hits and the story morphs into a Lord of the Flies/Then There Were None homage. This was more survival story than thriller. I kept waiting for a big twist that never came but the story held my attention as the characters fought to survive. One Perfect Couple is perfect for fans of The Turn of the Key or One by One.

This might be my favorite Ruth Ware story. It’s different because you know the “bad guy” pretty early, but there’s still a lot of suspense. I couldn’t put it down.

Ruth Ware can do no wrong in my opinion. From reading In A Dark, Dark Wood nearly a decade ago, to One Perfect Couple in 2024, Ware is an absolute master of suspense. In One Perfect Couple Lyla and her boyfriend Nico get the once in a lifetime opportunity to be on a new reality show (The Perfect Couple) and leave the cold London winter for a beautiful tropical paradise in the Indian Ocean. Lyla isn't immediately sold on the idea, but her job is in a standstill, her aspiring actor boyfriend Nico thinks this is his big chance to make it, and there is no denying it will be a gorgeous location. After traveling half way across the world there's another boat ride that takes them to Ever After Island, which isn't necessarily all they were promised. Things quickly go down hill when the first challenge causes some anger between the contestants and then a massive storm leaves Lyla and the rest of the contestants stranded on the island. Ware keeps the suspense going throughout, but I really thought there would be some big twist at the end and instead I found it kind of fizzled out more than anything. Overall though I absolutely loved the book and it will be perfect beach reading for the upcoming summer months!

The PERFECT summer thriller. Ruth Ware has always been one of my favorite authors. I always love her books and this one was no different. I loved this one from page one! I found it so entertaining and I found myself completely engrossed in this atmospheric thriller. The plot of this book was unlike any I’ve read before. This one was about a reality tv show where 5 couples head to a remote island and compete against each other until one couple remains. With games like the tv show survivor, I knew this would be good. But when a big storm comes and leaves the cast stranded with no boat and no way of communicating the outside world, things start to get interesting and the characters do what they have to, to survive.
I promise you won’t want to miss this awesome thriller when it comes out on 5/21!

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware was a phenomenal read that I burned through in ONE DAY! Highly recommend and will be purchasing for library collections.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

When Lyla’s boyfriend convinces her to go on a reality show she is nervous for many reasons, but she really has no idea how nervous she should be. Let’s just say things go way more wrong than she expected when a massive storm hits. This book gets a little, “Lord of the Flies.”

As a reality TV producer I was worried I would find the plot annoying, but I have to say Ruth really nailed this one. Each character was unique, and their motivations made sense. I was completely hooked, and thankful, for the ending that was wrapped up nicely. I don’t want to give anything away, but it felt right.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Ruth Ware book in quite a while and I forgot just how well she can craft a story! She goes beyond "just a thriller" and always has complex characters, important connecting themes, and takes a unique approach with whatever plot she decides.

I thought the reality competitive dating show subplot was fun (especially as a fan of shows like that! What a way to just disconnect!) And it allowed her to incorporate a wide variety of characters this way.

And then bring in the storm off the island and you get Temptation Island meets Lord of The Flies. I was absolutely hooked the entire time!

"Harkening to Agatha Christie's classic And Then There Were None, this high-tension and ingenious thriller follows five couples trapped on a storm-swept island as a killer stalks among them - from Ruth Ware, the New York Times bestselling author who "is turning out to be as ingenious and indefatigable as the Queen of Crime" (The Washington Post).

Lyla is in a bit of a rut. Her post-doctoral research has fizzled out, she's pretty sure they won't extend her contract, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, aren't going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to join the cast of a new reality TV show, One Perfect Couple, she decides to try out with him. A whirlwind audition process later, Lyla find herself whisked off to a tropical paradise with Nico, boating through the Indian Ocean towards Ever After Island, where the two of them will compete against four other couples - Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joel and Romi, and Conor and Zana - in order to win a cash prize.

But not long after they arrive on the deserted island, things start to go wrong. After the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. Cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean, deprived of their phones, and unable to contact the crew that brought them there, the group must band together for survival. As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla finds that this game show is all too real - and the stakes are life or death.

A fast-paced, spellbinding thriller rife with intrigue and characters that feel so true to life, this novel proves yet again that Ruth Ware is the queen of psychological suspense."

Yes, it's time for beach read season, and well, I think this is the winner out of the gate.

A television show that is part Survivor and part Love Island is the premise of this new book by one of my favorite authors Ruth Ware. Lyla is a scientist studying viruses and her boyfriend of several years Nico, is a struggling actor. Nico finds out they have been invited to film a new show that is being shopped around to streaming services and the show is set on a beautiful island near Jakarta. Lyla isn't sure about this opportunity since she isn't the typical reality TV type but she agrees to take a couple of weeks off for Nico's sake. Once they arrive, the beach is as beautiful as they thought but the whole production seems a little low budget based on what they were told. Then the very first day Nico is ejected from the island after failing a challenge and Lyla is asked to move into the cabana with a stranger. The whole premise of this sounds really strange in that people who are in committed relationships are expected to sleep in the same bed with strangers. Real life shows like "Married at First Sight" and "Love Island "feature single people not people married or in a partnership with someone else. In any case, Nico has barely left when a heavy storm comes in destroying some of the huts and killing two people.

Most of the book is about surviving on this island with very limited food and water and with people who may not be trustworthy. I did like the way the women supported each other and banded together to make sure they could survive. I also enjoyed the details on how the group put their heads together to think about ways to signal for help and to help those who were injured. I had a hard time keeping the couples separate for quite awhile and felt like the men could have been described more and had more of a role in the story. I don't always need a twist in a story but here I was really looking forward to a twist at the end which didn't come. I never quite understood the purpose of the show even with the explanation given and felt like there were a few loose ends. Not my favorite Ware novel but I would recommend it for her quality of writing and the survival aspects and feminist message.